[Nogrod]

Stigend tried to continue his work a while after the children had gone searching for Garmund but soon realised that his thoughts wandered in totally different matters. Modtryth maybe right. Maybe I’m too concerned about Cnebba? But how could I not?

“Auch!” The axe slipped and hit Stigend’s right shin sideways. He dropped the axe, took hold of his leg and cursed silently, breathing slow and deep. Well, not the edge though, but hurts... like always. That kind of things happened every now and then. When the mind slips the tool slips. He knew that well enough. Okay, I might as well go to see Garstan now. This work seems not to be progressing now anyway...

As Stigend approached the half-built kitchen he heard Garstan’s voice. He couldn’t quite make out what was being discussed but it was something concerning a trip to some ruins or something and telling tales and then not understanding what was going on. When Stigend came to the corner he heard his wife talking. “But why, that is something they must tell you themselves...” Stigend halted and listened to Cnebba explaining the situation. Brave lad..., he thought and decided to get involved.

"We did not mean to be nasty", Lèoðern added quietly just as Stigend walked into the kitchen.

“I believe you didn’t.” Stigend said aloud, entering the room: “But you didn’t actually mean to be nice either. Now did you?” Both children laid their heads down again. Stigend nodded to both Garstan and Modtryth, gesturing them for a permission to continue a little bit. He took a look at the children. They both looked quite beaten and ashamed but also somewhat defiant. There was something else here Stigend realised that he did not know about. He bowed lightly to come more at level with the children.

“Allright you two. I believe you meant no harm as such. But when you want to be friends with someone, you’ll have to think every now and then how that one feels the things you do and say. And that’s easy, really. Just think how you would feel yourself in a same kind of situation.” With that Stigend raised himself back up to meet Garstan and Modtryth.

“Have you eaten anything yet?” Modtryth asked, pointing her question to both men.

“You’re right. We should have lunch, all of us, and talk this over. I know something about this but you seem to know other things.” Stigend agreed. Garstan nodded to the proposition: “Some lunch then. I’m waiting to hear the whole story, if there is one”, he said.

They helped themselves with some soup, bread and household wine and water. Then they settled to a table in the Hall near the kitchen. Stigend told about his discussion with the children earlier and Cnebba and Lèoðern admitted intently playing Garmund out of the game. Then Garstan told about the trek to the ruins. After that they ate in silence for a while, all in their own thoughts.

“Well, I’m not wishing to downplay any other aspects of the problem there may be, but the root of this seems both easy to see and hard to fix”, Stigend said eventually, tearing pieces of bread and dropping them to his almost empty bowl of soup. Garstan laid his bowl down and looked at him, keenly waiting for him to continue.

“I mean. Garmund spends a lot of time, many days a week learning your trade, Garstan. That is great, don’t get me wrong. I have been somewhat impatient to have Cnebba with me learning the carpentry. Modtryth here will give testimony of that.” He took a fast look at Modtryth and smiled. She had soup in her mouth and had to really concentrate not to laugh out aloud to Stigend’s mild way of putting the thing forward. They had discussed that, many times.

“So, when Garmund gets back to join these two, they already have their own games and adventures. They’ve had fun all the day and Garmund is left outside of it. If I could take Cnebba to learn my trade, this could be solved, but it maybe that Modtryth is right. He maybe too young for it still.”

Stigend tried to look as solemn as he could, but inwardly he was smiling widely. Nothing so bad as not to carry with it a seed of something good. Cnebba had never really been so interested in carpentry but liked to study all kinds of bugs and the like and Modtryth had given him a firm no everytime he had tried to reason a deal why Cnebba should start learning his trade. Now he could beat both oppositions. How to make a child do something? Tell him not to do it or tell it publicly that he’s not capable of doing it... And even Modtryth can’t go against it now as it would solve the basics of this problem.